Twitter sells more of its marketing data

By Zak StamborManaging Editor

The social network will let Kantar Media parent company WPP use its data.

Amid rumors that Twitter plans an initial public offering, the microblogging service is seeking new revenue. Twitter last week announced a deal with advertising and public relations company WPP plc to weave Twitter data into a number of WPP’s divisions, including consultancy Kantar Retail and digital agency Wunderman.

The agreement will enable the companies to launch data products and services. It will also enable WPP to integrate Twitter data into several of its media and analytics platforms.

WPP says that the deal highlights its “data-driven marketing” approach. It says it plans to increase the amount of Twitter data its various units use to produce more effective, targeted marketing campaigns—on and off of Twitter.

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“Twitter’s relevance continues to grow–not only as a social platform, but also as a window into consumer attitudes and behavior in real time,” says Martin Sorrell, WPP CEO. “We are delighted to ensure that Twitter data is a key ingredient in many of our disciplines. We look forward to leveraging the platform in a variety of ways for our clients around the world.”

Twitter says the deal will help marketers take advantage of its platform. The relationship will give brands better insight into how Twitter users interact with the social network while they watch TV, a Twitter spokesman says. That could help brands adjust their Twitter and TV advertising strategies.

The news follows a similar deal Twitter announced in April with advertising agency Starcom MediaVest, which is a division of WPP rival Publicis Groupe. The goal of that deal, said CEO Maurice Levy when announcing the agreement, was to find ways to monetize Twitter’s audience.

None of the companies would disclose the terms of the deals.

Because the agreements are not exclusive, a Twitter spokesman says that the social network will likely have more deals to announce in the future.